The Iron Box
by TheDogo
Summary: Danny's recovery from an investigation gone sideways has a secret from his past deciding his future with his team.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Author's Note: Special thanks to JazzieG for her amazing Beta work and CinderH for a shove in the right direction! _

**Chapter 1**

"No, no, no, no, no", Danny mumbled when two sets of hands roughly picked his body up off the ground once again. He didn't have the time to make an attempt at getting his legs under him while he was unceremoniously dragged towards his teammates. The injured man was having difficulty focusing on anything other than his throbbing back and his pathetic attempts at getting oxygen back into his uncooperative lungs. Shaking his head in a feeble attempt to get rid of the roaring in his ears and the gray edges to his vision was not helping. The twenty cane strikes he had endured became a gigantic tutorial in how to unsuccessfully ratchet down the blazing inferno that was now running rampant up and down his back. At least he had been able to hold back the shocked screams from ripping out of his throat as the pain intensified. What he was unable to contain was the muffled grunts as each strike contacted his bruised skin and tore new strips of flesh off his already aching ribs and spine.

The act of having each arm raised above his head, spread eagled from his torso, then lashed to a bloodied post, reduced Danny to a mass of shuddering pain. The cost of keeping his weight off his aching wrists and burden loaded shoulders was increasing tenfold as his injured knee and damaged ribcage just couldn't keep up with the demands that his uncooperative body was imposing. By the end of the twenty strikes, the Detective was bearing his full weight on his torn and bleeding wrists, his shoulders screaming in agony.

Danny was managing to keep the distressing discomfort to himself while his constantly grayed out vision focused on looking for the two members of his 'ohana. He had been aware of an initial outraged bellow and an ensuing scuffle within the gunmen watching when he was callously trussed up between the two posts. He instinctively knew the commotion would include his indomitable partner. The man just couldn't help himself. Danny needed, however, to make sure that the SEAL didn't come unglued; that Chin had his partner's back and would keep him from strategically attempting some incredibly stupid tactical maneuver. He also had to admit to himself that he desperately needed the emotional grounding to his partner, needed to know that Steve would be able to pick up the pieces when this little sidebar into insanity was finally over. That the SEAL would be able to glue the pieces of his partner back together before Danny completely flew apart again from the pain.

H50

Steve and Chin were grouped together, both men frantically searching what they could see of the makeshift camp for any signs of Danny. The severely struggling detective was torn out of both men's grasp as they were herded into camp. Only the threat of several high powered weapons and one well placed gun stock to Steve's ribcage allowed the suspects to separate the three men. Danny valiantly tried to keep up while the men were herded through the rainforest by the urgent pace the gunmen had set. The two members of his 'ohana were eventually allowed to support him after his body unequivocally gave in to the demands of the forced march. Their teammate had needed the physical support when he re-injured his bad knee during the initial skirmish for control. Chin also suspected that his friend took a couple of well placed shots to the ribs, but refused to protest his injuries, and remained relatively quiet during the forced march. The quiet had been unnerving. By the time the men were forced into the makeshift camp, Danny was covered in sweat and struggling to catch his breath.

"Chin, I don't see him", Steve growled. "Where the hell did they take him?" The agonizing responsibility of getting his partner safely out of the major cluster that had become this investigation was damn near suffocating the man in guilt. He had dropped his guard; let them get to Danny while his partner was injured and vulnerable. He was sure they had later targeted the Detective due to his knee and subsequent struggle after the pounding he had taken. The team had held their own during the initial assault, but when his partner's attacker got in a lucky shot to the knee that took the Detective down to the ground in a sudden heap, the tables had swiftly turned. The gunmen had then used their friend for leverage, placing an assault rifle to Danny's head to get the remaining two teammates to grudgingly stand down.

Chin firmly placed his hand on his friend's forearm, the man literally vibrating with tension and worry. "He's here brah. We'll find Danny", he quietly assured him. Being separated from their teammate was taking a toll on the Commander's restraint and the Hawaiian's ability to subdue the SEAL's need to locate their injured colleague in check more difficult. Chin felt the tension in Steve's forearm increase causing him to follow his friend's line of sight. Danny was being ruthlessly dragged across the rainforest floor, back towards the watching men. He shifted his body in order to occupy more of the SEAL's personal space. "Steve. Don't. Just… wait", he urgently whispered, his gaze never leaving the harassed figure sagging from the gunmen's agonizing grip. Chin was admittedly struggling with his own seething anger and rage at how his brother was being brutally handled but they weren't in a position to help their friend. They hadn't had an opening, the gunmen being well organized and eager to inflict as much damage where they could. And the damage thus far had been to Danny.

Steve's blazing rage flashed unfairly at the Hawaiian, immediately flaring back towards the advancing men cruelly handling his partner. It was when the pair realized where the semi-conscious man was being taken that Steve couldn't hold the fury that was roiling through his body in check. "Danny!" Steve roared while he lunged forward, trying to extract himself out of his friend's firm grasp. Chin hastily body slammed the SEAL, wrapping his arms around the besieged man's waist to block his forward momentum, alarmingly aware of the multitude of weapons pointed at the two men and the urgent need for Steve to stop struggling. "Steve, you need to hold it together brah. This won't help Danny!" Chin's urgent and repetitive demands for restraint, momentarily tamped the Navy SEAL's escalating vehemence. With no immediate opening for his deep-seated instinct towards eliminating the threat, the Commander was forced to return his harried gaze back on his partner.

Steve's tightly controlled body involuntarily shuddered before he was able to mercilessly box his anguish over his partner being sadistically trussed up between two hastily erected posts. The SEAL instantly recognized his best friend's repeated struggle to keep the pain of his battered and bruised body at bay so as not to augment the gunmen's excruciating handling. Steve ground his jaw in unrelenting aggravation while his partner urgently attempted to search for the two members of his 'ohana to mentally ground him. Danny's connection to his partner brutally slammed into the SEAL's constricting chest as the raw, hurting gaze finally found purchase. Steve forgot how to breathe when his best friend's pain, fear, and then unquestionable annoyance with the SEAL flickered briefly within the searing blue eyes. _"Steven, don't…seriously Steven…just...don't."_

Danny's eyes grudgingly slammed closed when the first cane strikes lashed across his back, forcing painful grunts from his throat. As his partner's intent stare remained stubbornly inaccessible, Steve silently pleaded with the man to maintain their inexorable bond. _"Danny, no, don't you dare do this... Come on, come on, come on… Danno, look at me!" _After what felt like an eternity of silent pleas, his partner's blazing blue eyes listlessly slid back into place where they belonged. Steve grasped frantically at the connection, categorically challenging his friend to allow his lidded gaze to waver away from him again.

Danny's agonizing tell became more apparent while the strikes continued. He was reaching his threshold and even Steve's furiously silent communicated demands couldn't hold him together much longer. As the last of the cane strikes landed on his back, his eyes began to roll back into his head and his vision grayed. Pain unexpectedly exploded throughout his body when he slammed into the unforgiving ground, forcing his eyes open again and his fists to clench at the hard packed earth. He wasn't cognizant of the gunmen's movement, and that the bindings that contained both wrists were cut until his entire body collided with the unforgiving ground.

"Brah, Danny's strong. He can hold on…we'll get him back", Chin ground out. Both men knew that they had to get the Detective in their midst to protect him, to make sure that the gunmen couldn't continue to mete out their frustrations on their teammate. Neither man was able to get a good look at Danny's back from where they were being restrained. But they didn't need to see the damage brandished against their friend to confirm his wounds. The cane reverberating brashly against his bare back was evidence enough. The SEAL vowed to memorize the gunman responsible for inflicting the strikes to his partner, pledging the man wouldn't live to see another sunrise.

Steve and Chin defiantly glared at the two gunmen that tersely heaved their teammate up off the ground and were callously dragging him between them as they approached the tensely awaiting men. The SEAL continued to vibrate with anger over Danny's semi-conscious state. "This stops now Chin. They don't touch him again!" Chin didn't acknowledge his teammate's ominous warning. He didn't need to. There was no chance either man was going to allow their beaten and bloody friend to be torn from their midst once he was safely returned. The Detective's defiantly rasped "no's" reached the alarmed men's awareness, causing both men to lunge urgently forward when the gunmen roughly moved to drop their burden. In the next breath, grinning maliciously at the straining men and without uttering a word, the gunmen changed directions. Both men felt the narrow muzzles of two remaining weapons aggressively pressed against their ribcage, thwarting their attempts to move further forward towards Danny as he was dragged away. Chin gripped Steve's forearm in anticipation, his fingers digging deeply into the man's extensor muscles to hold him in check.

~to be continued~


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: Special thanks to JazzieG, you really are BRILLIANT! And to IreneClaire, sorry, it really is all your FAULT!_

**Chapter 2**

Danny became more agitated when his mind began to regain its ability to decipher the meaning behind the directional change of the gunmen away from his 'ohana. "NO, not happening, get the fuck off of me!" he rasped while he twisted against the hands holding his arms, making the grips become vice like along his biceps. "Shit, no, no, no, not going in there!" He twisted again, attempting to bring his legs and feet under him for more leverage. Pain burst along his back and throughout his knee, his attempts to escape escalating. The pain engulfing his body, however, couldn't compete with his frantic responses to the image of the iron box and the open door that revealed the dark interior. But it wasn't the darkness that threatened to snuff out his ability to breath. It was the physically restricted space _within_ the box; the distressingly narrowing space that continued to shrink the longer his harried gaze locked onto it. Waves of stifling heat rolled out of the constricted facade, escaping into the humid rainforest, turning the box into a living and breathing, turbulent beast. Heat blasted his face, forcing him to gasp the closer he was forced towards the entrance. "NO…no, can't…" Danny lost all capability to organize his thoughts and actions into a productive escape effort when the size of the iron box had registered into his muddled consciousness. His mind continued to scream in turbulent panic while he was aggressively shoved into its depths and the entrance callously slammed closed. The resounding click of the lock was crushing to the panicking man inside.

"Shit…no, I can't… out, let…PLEASE…" Danny pleaded, his heart pounding forcefully within his chest and his ability to breathe becoming more hampered. The relentless humidity and the overwhelming stench of feces and urine were having a cumulative effect on his body's powerlessness to get enough oxygen into his lungs. He'd been ruthlessly shoved head first into the stifling interior, his mind screaming in desperate need to physically turn around to get back to the door while he scrambled to find purchase on the repulsively slick surface. His knee protested vehemently at being forced to tuck tightly into his constricting chest to get leverage. He hissed in pain when his bleeding back pressed firmly against one side of the box, the heat radiating off its surface. He could almost feel the flesh sizzling on his back as his tender skin made contact with the hot iron. After painfully crawling forward the length of two men, Danny hastily sought out cracks in the outline of the door with his trembling fingers. Repeatedly dragging his fingertips across the entry, despite knowing that there would be no flaws, he kept trying as his breathing became harsher, more difficult.

"Breath…can't…slow down…" Just when Danny might have convinced himself that he could hold it together long enough for his ohana to get him out, the thick air within the iron box exploded with the noise of slamming bullets and reigned chaos on his tentative hold on reality. The paralyzing screams that his mind demanded he utter, turned into murmured pleas, as oxygen was diverted towards his physical altercation with his environment. Danny's hands and feet slammed and scrapped against the constricting sides seeking any fault that would allow him to gain purchase on his escape. His torn wrists, cane stripped back, and rivulets of sweat, caused smeared swaths and smatterings of blood along all sides of the interior, making attempts at forcing a weakness within it's depths a lesson in futility. The Detective's fingernails were unknowingly being shredded and fingers began to snap when his efforts to escape exploded into frenzied, disorienting movement. Within minutes, he was awash with blood and sweat from his efforts, his body quivering in exhaustion. He had inadvertently shoved himself deeply into a corner of the iron box, furthest from the door. Curled in a fetal position, arms protectively wrapped around his head, the agonized man's body finally gave in to the psychological and physical shock. Movement stopped and silence mercifully descended as Danny's vision flared into nothingness.

H50

"Wait, what's going on" Steve growled as he began to strain against Chin's continued steel grasp on his forearm. His partner's increased agitation and attempts to break free made both men spin in place to establish the cause of their friend's increased anxiety and frenzied attempts at escape. Steve's vision blazed red when he realized what was about to happen. The Hawaiian's harsh warnings to the SEAL as the rifle muzzles were pressed into their ribcages just minutes before grew dangerously silent. Chin suddenly released his grip on his friend. Both men's line of sight landed on the threateningly unyielding iron box simultaneously and Danny's abrupt disappearance into its depths. Their reaction was spontaneous and devoid of hesitation.

The two gunmen whose weapons were pressed into Steve and Chin's sides were now lying lifeless on the rainforest floor. At the same time the two men made their move, the rainforest suddenly exploding with a cacophony of gunfire and shouting. Neither teammate hesitated when they were forced to drop to the ground seeking out cover from the flying earth and vegetation, rounds of ammunition slicing through the air and into the ground around them. The authoritative shouts of "HPD", "SWAT", and "Drop your weapons…" were drowned out by the gunmen's automatic weapons concussive return fire.

As chaos reigned around them, Steve aggressively fired rounds from one of the two confiscated weapons, maneuvering himself towards the iron box that now held his partner. Chin found adequate cover and was strategically placing rounds from the second confiscated weapon amongst the gunmen in order to give his teammate more room to maneuver safely. Both men were agonizingly aware that Danny's violent forced entrance into the confining interior would be cruelly escalating their friend's distress and his body's ability to cope. They urgently needed to get to him; failing their friend was just not an option.

As Steve gained ground on the oppressive box, repetitive rounds slammed into its sides, pinging off the reinforced edges that held each iron plate in place. The SEAL was frustratingly forced to the ground while the ricocheting bullets off the impenetrable iron rocketed in all directions. Steve glanced back towards Chin, communicating silently for information that was crucial to efficiently eliminate the gunman targeting the area. Both men moved simultaneously. Chin strafed cover fire, eliminating the gunmen that were attempting to converge on his teammates. Steve lunged past his covered position, affording him placement of one tactical shot dead center into the forehead of the gunman who had inflicted the multiple lashings to his partner's back. As the last of the gunmen within the camp collapsed to the ground under the onslaught of HPD, SWAT, and the remaining Five-0 task force, the shattering silence throughout the rainforest was deafening.

H50

A round of "Clear" broke through the silence, propelling the two men towards the entrance of the iron box. HPD and the other tactical officers were checking downed gunmen and securing the area.

"Danny!" Steve bellowed, sliding onto his knees at the entrance, laying his palms on the heat of the iron facade to steady himself. "Danny!" he yelled again, placing his ear closer to the entrance where his partner had disappeared into its depths. "Come on Danno, talk to me" Steve whispered as he felt two strong hands placed reassuringly on his shoulders.

"Brah, can you hear him? Did he answer?" Feeling the SEAL's rigid posture through his fingers, Chin's gaze fell upon the lock that was preventing them from getting their friend out.

"Chin, see if HPD can find a pair of bolt cutters or a crow bar in camp we can use to get this lock off!" Steve grabbed the offensive lock and slammed it against the iron clasp in frustration. The lock was mangled into a clumped mass of steel due to a stray bullet striking the housing mechanism. Even if Officers were able to locate the set of keys off of one of the dead gunmen, the lock couldn't be opened with them. Grabbing the discarded weapon at his side, the SEAL crashed the safety on and struck the butt of the weapon against the lock. "Danny, come on man, answer me!" Steve yelled between blows to the lock and plates.

"Steve, stop! Brah, we'll get him out, just wait a minute." Chin flexed his fingers against the man's shoulders, adding more pressure while his friend growled in frustration and pulled back to strike in aggravation at the unforgiving lock.

Steve impatiently threw the weapon to the ground. Pressing his body further against the blistering iron plate, palms placed flat on either side of the lock, he continued to quietly beseech a response from his partner. The two men were mercilessly forced to wait for whatever HPD could scavenge from the gunmen's camp as heartbreaking silence resounded from within.

"Chin, he's too quiet. It's taking too long to get him out of there," Steve's protest rumbled in frustration.

"Yeah brah, I know. They're working on it," Chin countered while he scanned the movements of other officers securing the site. He finally spotted a young officer scurrying towards them with a pair of bolt cutters in hand, followed swiftly by Duke Lukela. He grabbed the cutters from the Officer when they were handed over, "Steve, here, let me in with these".

"Come on…come on…get this off," Steve commanded, crouching down ready to cram his fingers into the crease of the entrance. The bang of the lock when the bolt cutters snapped the lock off the hinge signaled Steve to rip the door open to gain access to his partner.

The waves of heat and human stench would have been overpowering had both men not been so alarmed about their friend and teammate. Danny remained motionless and curled in a fetal position into the far corner of the iron box. Steve determinedly crawled into the space ignoring the blood and sweat encrusted within the interior and covering his partner. He quietly encouraged a reaction from the man as he reached out to check his friend's carotid artery, "Hey Danno, you with me buddy?"

"Steve, how's he doing?" Chin's question was laced with alarm as he remained poised at the entrance, ready to help the SEAL get their injured friend out.

"He's got a pulse, but it's thready and weak. We need to get him out of this damn box. I'm hesitant to move him but I don't see any other options. I can't get a good look at what's going on with him in here, there's not enough light", Steve softly confirmed, his own anxiety lowering a notch by just being able to lay his hands on his partner.

"Steve, Duke's in contact with Kono at HQ. She's been coordinating HPD's tactical operation in getting here. Duke has her working on an extraction site nearby so a medivac helicopter team can get in to help with Danny and transport him to Queens Medical. She'll head there once we're on our way. Duke says the medivac team is approximately 20 minutes out."

Steve nodded confirmation and slowly released a breath, attempting to determine the best way to move his unresponsive partner. Gently rolling Danny onto his stomach from his left side, his left cheek resting on the SEAL's forearm, he paused making sure the movement wouldn't jostle the Detective too severely. Placing both hands under his ill-treated teammate's armpits, his head still positioned on Steve's left forearm, he began to shimmy backwards towards the facade, pulling his partner with him. As Steve got closer to the entrance, Chin and Duke grabbed the Commander's legs and steadily pulled him backwards. The men let go of the SEAL when he was able to crouch at the door and gently raise Danny's upper body, turning him slightly back to the right. Chin and Duke gently lifted the Detective's hips and legs next. Being careful not to injure Danny further, the three men turned the severely wounded man gently back over onto his side when his feet cleared the interior.

Softly agonized expletives ground out of Chin and Duke while Danny was gently placed back on the unforgiving ground. "Jesus, Danny," Steve exhaled, all three men taking in his bleeding and inexorably bruised body. Steve ground his jaws in frustration and reproach, his glance at Chin confirming both men's awareness that the damage to the man's hands was self inflicted trauma from being forced to endure the confines of the iron box. The Navy SEAL shoved the guilt and anguish roughly aside, taking control over his friend's triage until the medivac team could arrive.

"How long Chin?" Steve asked, continuing to monitor Danny's breathing and pulse, as well as keeping the rest of his partner's wounds protected.

"Five more minutes' brah," Chin responded, placing a comforting hand on the Detective's thigh. "They're almost here. The helicopter had to land in a clearing approximately 1 mile out. The medics are hoofing it the rest of the way in with what they'll need".

Steve slowly moved to the top of Danny's head and placed both of his large hands gently on either side of the unresponsive man's face, "Come on Danno, don't let go yet. Helps on the way. Stay with me here". The SEAL continued to murmur into his partner's ear, the man's body struggling to stabilize.

**~to be continued~**


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: Thanks again to JazzieG for putting up with my major freak out! And to the DWOCD for your amazing support. Luv you guys! ;-)_

**Chapter 3**

Steve was an impenetrable barrier, refusing to leave his vigil at the top of Danny's head once the evac team arrived. He made sure that he wasn't limiting their access to his partner, but pointedly glared, then stalwartly ignored their suggestions that he step aside and allow them to work. Chin's shielding vigilance over both men made him acknowledge his own struggle with permitting anyone outside their 'ohana contact with their injured teammate. Both men were unable to rid their minds of blame for allowing Danny into the hands of the gunmen to begin with and the results of that egregious error.

On any given day, their teammate was a whirlwind of uninterrupted motion. Silence was never an optimistic indicator of a good day in Daniel Williams' strikingly vociferous personality. The harsh realization that their teammate had yet to voluntarily twitch or verbosely protest the botched investigation was steadily destroying the SEAL's ability to maintain his deep-seated tenacity. Chin's unwavering composure began to show signs of fraying around the edges. Duke took over the coordination of the site, leaving the two men to head out with the medivac team. The forced pace through the rainforest was eerily reminiscent of the men's earlier march. The exception being that the urgency of the pace was in direct correlation to the concerns the Medics had for the Detective's quickly deteriorating condition.

No one within the medivac crew defied either man's move to join their teammate while their severely injured friend was carefully loaded into the helicopter. Danny had begun to violently tremble due to shock as the flight took off. The Medics quickly established a femoral central venous catheter after being unsuccessful in locating a usable vein for the more common peripheral one. Fluids were being pushed to counter the acute dehydration and shock that was adding complications to the myriad of other injuries the Detective was suffering from. The complex dance between the Medics and the two men to provide physical and emotional support was unquestionably intricate in its detail. Steve retained his position at the head of the Stokes basket, his litany of nonsensical encouragements to his partner and the gentle presence of his hands on the man's face never faltering. Chin placed his hand quietly on Danny's uninjured leg, allowing the frayed edges of his own composure to slowly smooth into place once the flight concluded at Queens.

Chin positioned himself close to Steve while the emergency team descended upon the landing helicopter and Danny was transferred onto the waiting gurney. The SEAL managed to maintain his position at his partner's head, his hand resting on his friend's shoulder as an anchor. His focus never left Danny's face while the medic's relayed the Detective's vital information to the attending physician. Steve was brought up short after one of Queens Head nurses in the ER decisively placed her hand on his chest, "You have to stay here Commander. Let us take care of him now. The Detective's in good hands here, you know that. I'll make sure one of us comes out to let you know what's going on as soon as we can". Steve blinked in confusion at the nurse's familiarity with his team. His voice unexpectedly faltered, his body physically refusing his urgent need to prevent his partner being abruptly torn away from their ohana once again.

Chin's calming presence quickly replaced the head nurses supplication when she pivoted through the ER's swinging doors. "They got him Steve, you can let him go," Chin beseeched.

"No! No, not again…" Steve muttered, his body making an attempt to propel more adrenaline through his previously haggard system.

Chin crammed his way into Steve's personal space once more, "Brah, the Medics gained some ground in stabilizing Danny. He'll beat this; let them take care of him. They've got this".

Steve's entire body suddenly shuddered and seemed to deflate unexpectedly, "This never should have happened, Chin. I never should have allowed them to get Danny away from us. Damn it, he's my partner; I should have been able to protect him!" Steve dejectedly placed his forearm up against the ER's doorframe while dropping his forehead on his arm in defeat.

Chin sighed in frustration at his bosses predictably gutted response to having one of their ohana injured, especially Danny. His empathetic retort to the man was interrupted by Kono's alarmed exclamation reverberating through the ER corridor while she sprinted towards her remaining ohana.

"Chin, what the hell happened? How's Danny? Do you know anything yet?" She barely skidded to a halt before crashing into Chin's reassuring embrace and taking in Steve's emotional turmoil. Kono knew it must be bad if her boss was allowing so much distress to slip through his normally unyielding doggedness. "Duke wasn't able to give me any details when he requested an evac medical team and the coordinates. All I could get from him was that the evac was for Danny and that he was in bad shape. Brah, I don't understand what happened!"

Chin sighed again, cupping the palm of his hand behind Steve's neck, gently squeezing to gain his attention. The SEAL's apprehensive gaze lifted momentarily to the ER's impenetrable doors, then to Chin, the distraught man not able to take his mind off his partner. Chin indicated that all three of them should move into the more private waiting room while they impatiently hovered for news on the member of their ohana. Kono needed to be brought up to date on what happened to Danny. Both men needed to know how in the hell HPD had such impeccable timing by showing up at the campsite at just the right time. If Chin were to guess, their task force rookie likely had some role to play in that stellar piece of work.

Unabashed tears rolled down Kono's face while her cousin explained the torture that Danny endured all because of a seemingly inconsequential lead the team was checking out. The plan was a simple reconnaissance of the area to gain information on what the team assumed was an innocuous rumor about gun running. Kono was relegated to HQ to attempt to gather more credibility to the information the team received. Five-0 was in the initial stages of the investigation and did not expect the investigation to heat up so violently or so rapidly. No one anticipated there being a threat in the area and they unquestionably were not prepared for the onslaught of the attack once they arrived at the location. Danny hadn't even voiced his penchant, predictable, and strident need for back up on this one before the team geared up to check out the lead. When the three men didn't check in with Kono at the designated hour, HPD and SWAT were dispatched and then coordinated by Kono with the Governor's unwavering approval.

After several hours of waiting, Kono quietly slipped away to regain her composure and clean up. Chin tiredly leaned back in his chair with lids half closed while he monitored his boss's anxiety level. The longer the team endured the wait, the more the SEAL's anxiety and apprehension ratcheted up another level. Steve managed to maintain his strategic seated position where he could continuously monitor the ER, his right knee bouncing in repetitive agitation. Kono quickly returned with the SEAL's spare duffle in hand that she had snagged before leaving for the hospital. Both teammates' clothes were splattered with unidentifiable grime and Danny's blood. Once Steve knew that the Detective was stable, Kono could convince him to get cleaned up while sending her cousin home to shower and change before returning to the hospital. There would be no questioning Steve's dogged resolve to stay with his partner until he was sure that the man was on the mend. Kono slipped the duffle under the chair she reoccupied next to Chin to settle in for the excruciating wait.

Steve bounded out of his chair at the first sight of a disheveled Doctor in scrubs that was determinedly heading towards the waiting team. Steve locked his gaze on the advancing physician, demanding the man maintain eye contact with him in an attempt to determine the information the man held that his team so desperately needed. The SEAL's forward momentum practically placed him within the doctor's front scrub pocket before he came to an abrupt stop. Steve inadvertently towered over the attending ER physician, his teammates placing a hand on his forearms to get him to stand down and give the Doctor some space.

"Danny, how is he Doc?" Steve blurted out, the man's anxiety over his friend all but oozing out of his pores.

"Detective Williams is holding his own Commander. As you know the Medics were able to stabilize his vitals during flight and we've been able to maintain those levels since he arrived. We've also stabilized his knee for now, but we'd like to schedule an MRI to confirm any damage done there." Dr. Kapahu held up his hand to stall Steve's agitated interjection. The doctor could practically see the man's hackles rise with the mention of an MRI. "I'm aware of what happened to Detective Williams, Commander. We'll wait for the MRI until we're sure he is able to tolerate that environment. I'm not willing to take the chance of his gaining consciousness during the procedure and I'd prefer to not have to sedate him for it either." Dr. Kapahu nodded at the man while he watched Steve's protective posturing knock back to more acceptable levels of disquiet and worry for his partner.

"So Danny's still unconscious?" Kono inquired.

"Yes, he's not showing any signs of awareness as of yet", Dr. Kapahu confirmed. "We're not concerned with his level of awareness due to the stresses he endured both physically and psychologically. His body is giving him the time he needs to recover from both traumas. We want to make sure Detective Williams is allowed to recover at his own rate while we support his body's physiological needs. We'll be keeping a close eye on him in the ICU to make sure his return to responsiveness is as smooth as possible", assured Dr. Kapahu. The physician persisted with delivering the litany of Danny's injuries and overall care to his teammates. The task force was renowned within the walls of Queens for demanding the minute details when it entailed one of their own.

"We've been able to clean up his back while he's been out, which required some debridement and numerous stitches to several of the cane strikes. We've also set one finger on his right hand and two on his left. All three breaks were straight forward breaks and will not require surgery. Unfortunately, because of the additional damage to Detective Williams' fingers and hands, we're holding off on fully splinting his fingers until we're satisfied that the wounds on his hands are not going to become infected. The damage to his hands and fingers have also been thoroughly flushed and cleaned. We have Detective Williams on strong antibiotics to counter any infection that may develop and to counter any aspirated fluids that may have entered his lungs. He's been able to maintain his oxygen levels, however, he is severely congested and may be susceptible to pneumonia, which we would prefer to avoid, obviously. His temperature is elevated, which is not surprising, and again, will be monitored closely to make sure it doesn't continue to rise. And lastly, Detective Williams has suffered severe bruising to his ribcage and chest wall. We've located two fractures to the ribs on his right side which along with the bruising, will cause him a great deal of discomfort while the rest of his injuries are healing." Dr. Kapahu finished with a sigh. "Detective Williams is listed in critical condition, but he's stabilizing. He'll have a long, painful road ahead of him, and it goes without saying, that he is going to need all of your support to get through this recovery."

"I want to see him. WE… need to see him," Steve glowered, once again towering over the physician, as if to warn him off any resistance in giving his team access to Danny.

Dr. Kapahu nodded, "I expected as much, Commander. Detective Williams is being moved up to ICU as we speak. I'll warn you, however. The Detective needs to rest. If I feel your team is interfering with my patient's recovery, I'll have you removed."

For a split second, both the Doctor and Steve squared off, nose to nose, neither being willing to back down. It took Chin determinedly clearing his throat, and a flicker of Steve's gaze in his teammate's direction, for Steve to curtly nod agreement to Dr. Kapahu's terms. The sickening feeling of déjà vu, the complete loss of control of Steve's admittance to Danny and his inability to protect him, was almost overwhelming.

Dr. Kapahu's gaze softened somewhat in understanding and acknowledgement of Steve's agitation, "I have reason to believe that giving your team contact with Detective Williams will be critical to his recovery in more ways than one. It goes without saying that the torture Detective Williams was subjected to will only complicate his recuperation. Your presence is just as vital to him as it is to you. Don't make me regret that decision, Commander."

Steve once again tersely nodded his acquiescence of the Doctor's stance, both hands raking through his hair in frustration. He grudgingly forced himself to stand down in order to gain the right of entry he desperately needed to his partner. Chin spoke for all the team, confirming their agreement to Dr. Kapahu's request, "We need to be there for Danny, Doc, but we won't interfere. You have our word."

~**to be continued~**


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: JazzieG, you have the patience of a Saint! And Cargumentluv, you owe me a new laptop! _

**Chapter 4**

Dr. Kapahu led the team down to the end of the corridor and into the ICU. The physician briefly introduced each member of the Task Force to the ICU nursing staff and explained the team's unlimited entry to Detective Williams' room. Steve irritatingly bounced on the balls of his feet in impatience, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side while the introductions were made. The physician turned to face the team one last time upon arriving at their destination. Firmly placing his palm on the Commander's chest when Steve strategically attempted to slide past the man, he leveled the SEAL with his best physician's glare, "My rules Commander, or I deny you access even the Governor can't sway".

Steve grunted, physically pushing past the physician in unbridled annoyance. "He's got it Doc; he just needs to be in there with Danny. Let him have this…please" Chin placated. Chin had been silently observing the SEAL's slow emotional unraveling the longer he was denied right of entry to his partner. He knew he was unequivocally forcing the Doc to recognize that by just allowing the Commander physical proximity to the Detective, he would be placating the man's intensely inherent need to protect a member of his 'ohana. The turbulent standoff between his friend and the physician may be understandable but was entirely unwarranted after what the team had just endured.

Dr. Kapahu maintained his glare, now directed at the remaining two members of the task force, and then hesitatingly nodded his concession. Allowing both teammates to slip past him into the room, the physician kept a watchful eye on his patient from just within the doorway until he was satisfied the Detective's precariously balanced vitals remained stable. When he was certain he could complete the remainder of his rounds, Dr. Kapahu exited silently, without notice.

After shoving his way into his partner's room, Steve immediately regained his position up by Danny's shoulders. The SEAL's rigidly held posture and annoyance at being unable to have contact with his partner, notably melted in dejection. Quickly cataloging his friends badly beaten body, the man locked his crestfallen gaze on his partner's face, "Hey, Danno. I'm right here. Not leaving you again buddy. You're safe now. It's okay to come back..." Steve placed the palm of his right hand gently on his partner's forehead, rubbing his thumb in small, soothing circles to ease the creases of distress permanently etched on the man's face. "Right here Danno, I'm right here…" Steve trailed off in a whispered plea, willing his partner to be aware that he was safe and back under his 'ohana's care.

"Danny…" Kono's whispered exhale of anguish over her teammate's injuries immediately brought a supportive arm and gentle squeeze across her shoulders from her equally troubled cousin. Danny was carefully placed on his left side, pillows advantageously inserted to support his chest, abdomen, and knee, keeping pressure off his remaining injuries as much as possible. The plethora of leads and lines added to the disarray of machinery and bagged fluids causing Kono's hesitation on where she could touch him without causing more pain, uncharacteristic. Chin re-established the familiar, comforting placement of his hand on his friend's uninjured leg, "He'll get through this cuz. We're going to help get him through this. We're not giving him a choice." Kono nodded, exasperatedly dragging both hands across her face, wiping away the tears that began to trail down her cheeks unfettered.

As his two teammates quietly slipped into position by his side, Steve weakly acknowledged the concern radiating off them. Turning his focus back on his partner, the anticipated, "I'm not leaving him. Don't suggest that I do," resounded throughout the room.

"Yeah, we know boss," Kono sympathetically acquiesced. "We won't ask you to. Not right now, anyway." Kono let linger the underlying threat that she would take more drastic measures if the man didn't take care of himself properly.

Chin inaudibly chuffed at his cousin's unveiled threat as she was a force to be reckoned with in her own right. He was also immensely proud of her. Proud of her burgeoning abilities and honored that the three men of Five-0 fell within Kono's carefully protected circle. Her ability to balance underlying toughness with tremendous compassion towards those she held closest to her heart had endeared her to all three men. It would take both his and his cousins efforts to make sure the SEAL wasn't allowed to run himself into the ground or destroy himself in guilt over what had happened to his partner. At least until Danny could take over that responsibility. Chin gave the Detective's leg a gentle last squeeze before settling himself in a position by the wall to watch over the members of his 'ohana.

After several additional hours of torturous waiting, Danny began to show signs of returning to a distraught semi-consciousness. Further rounds by the ICU nursing staff confirmed that the Detective's temperature was stubbornly elevated, his congestion causing his oxygen levels to begin to dip dangerously low. The once disturbingly silent stillness that took over the Detective's weakened body was now being replaced by involuntary tremors, forcing distressingly rasped groans from the man's lips. The trepidation radiating throughout the Detective's room was metaphorically suffocating everyone. It was the proverbial other shoe waiting to be dropped.

H50

Danny's tentative venture into semi-consciousness was the awareness of a niggling pain that encompassed his distressingly fevered body. The type of pain, that if he focused on it too long, claimed more of his wavering attention. Made his mind flinch at its excruciating intensity, demanding his body respond to the intense heat radiating throughout. "_Wait, why was his body inexplicably burning up? And…what? Was he freaking drowning? Why was it so amazingly hard to breathe_? _Just…Shit, just everything hurt and so,so tired,_" So he instinctually attempted to shove all his pain, bewilderment, and exhaustion back into the nice, neat, little box in the back of his befuddled brain where nothing… _"Wait, No… the box! No… just a second, NO! Not happening, get the fuck off of me! Shit, no, no, no, not going in there…"_ And his mind and body was mercilessly shoved back into the iron box and the instinct to survive. Danny's world erupted with unendurable pain, his brain forcing his body into uncontrolled, frenzied movement…again. Pain ratcheted to levels of torture he had never experienced before, the agonizing pain entangled with shouts of his name, then blissfully, nothing.

H50

Steve hadn't left his partner's side, the available bedside chair remaining stubbornly unoccupied. Hands fiercely gripping the bedrails, the SEAL dropped back onto his heels, arching his back in an attempt to stretch out his cramping, aching muscles. Eyes closed, his head bowed between his outstretched arms, he allowed himself a moment to just breathe. Patiently waiting was not in his genetic makeup, he was aware of that little cold, hard fact about himself. His partner thrust that glaringly obvious truth in his face so many times he'd lost count as to the number of rants Danny had vociferously flung at him. Judiciously assessing the opportunity to initiate, to overpower, to complete the mission, had been incessantly hammered into his training as a Commander, as a SEAL. But Danny wasn't a mission. "Never give up, never give in" may apply in these circumstances, but not the way he wanted it to, the way he needed it to. He had no control over what was happening and it was driving him quite slowly insane.

Steve popped back up to the balls of his feet, hands still fiercely gripping the bedrails, his upper body leaning intensely over it. Something had changed. Something with _Danny_ had changed. His partner's heart rate monitor showed an unsettling sudden increase, the stillness within the room beginning to surrender to the man's violently trembling body. Pitiful groans sounded through the dissonance of increasingly shrill medical equipment surrounding the man's bed. Steve glanced questioningly, "Chin?"

And the room burst into uncoordinated chaos as Danny's agitation skyrocketed, the man suddenly flipping painfully onto his flayed back, his arms and legs agonizingly arching when he made contact with the bed's hard surfaces. Steve and Chin frantically grabbed at their friend's limbs trying to prevent injury while blood began flowing from the man's unhealed hands. Kono immediately positioned herself at the head of the bed desperately calling Danny's name and attempting to lay her hands on his heaving shoulders. Dr. Kapahu suddenly darted into the room shouting demands, several ICU nurses hot on his heels. The flurry of activity settled into a delicately controlled chaotic dance over the din of continuously screeching alarms and the Detective's suddenly rigid body before…nothing. The abruptness had everyone in the room at a standstill and holding their collective breath.

"Where are we at? Someone talk to me, where is he at?" Dr. Kapahu demanded. Nurses rattled off vitals and statistics that confirmed what the physician had expected. Glancing at his surrounding staff and the obviously frazzled Five-0 team, the physician nodded. "His body made the decision before we could. He's unconscious, but nothing's changed in the negative."

"Shit, what _was_ that?" Kono whispered, afraid to break the sudden relief overwhelming the room.

Steve retained his gentle grip of Danny's wrists, the nursing staff beginning to clean up the damage his partner had done to his hands and back, while the SEAL took in Dr. Kapahu's explanation. Chin uncharacteristically ran both hands across his face and up through his hair while Dr. Kapahu assured the team that their friends sudden attempt at regaining consciousness, although hadn't been what the physician desired, didn't set their teammate back, either.

"Is that going to happen every time Danny tries to wake up?" Kono inquired while placing her hands protectively back on her teammate's quieted shoulders.

"No. We're giving Detective Williams a mild sedative that I expect will help him ease into awareness rather than what he experienced this time round. I'd like to prevent another episode like this one from reoccurring," Dr. Kapahu explained.

As the nurses finished settling their patient, Dr. Kapahu placed his hand reassuringly on the SEAL's stiff shoulder. "Give him time Commander. His body is going to need time to fight this. I know you don't want to hear it, but get some rest. With the mild sedative we administered, his body won't let him try to wake again for several hours. Take the time now; he's going to need you and your team when he gains more awareness." The two cousins rolled their eyes at the physician simultaneously. If the situation hadn't been so dire, the Commander would have likely smirked at their response. Instead, after relinquishing his partner's wrists to the skilled care of the nurses, Steve indignantly settled himself into the hard backed chair, crossing his arms in blatant disregard for his own well-being and the physician's concern.

"Right," Dr. Kapahu muttered. Directing his frustration with the stubborn man towards Chin, the physician pointed his finger at the man, "I would appreciate it if you kept him from driving himself into the ground. I don't need both of them in my hospital at the same time."

"Yeah Doc, neither do we," Chin acknowledged.

H50

Arms crossed in aggravation, Kono glared at the man daring him NOT to pay attention to her while he stubbornly refused to meet her flashing eyes. The man's petulant refusals to leave his partner's side were bordering on the ridiculous. She had sensibly convinced her cousin to go home to get cleaned up and catch a few hours of sleep before returning to his vigil over Danny. But the SEAL belligerently sitting before her, refused to budge. Grunting in frustration, she reached down to grab the intentionally discarded, then thoroughly dismissed duffel. Determinedly stepping between the frayed man and his injured partner, Kono forcefully shoved the duffle into his chest, nearly toppling him over backwards in his chair. "Go! Get changed and clean up a bit," she barked. Steve sank deeper into his seat, defiantly wrapping his legs around the chair, frowning. "What, do I have to use a cattle prod to get you up out of that thing? You're disgusting and starting to smell. If you don't take better care of yourself the nurses are going to remove you from Danny's room because you've become a danger to his health," she challenged.

"I'd like to see them try," the SEAL challenged right back, his voice menacingly quiet in its sincerity.

"Boss! You're not helping. Danny has open wounds that everyone is working hard to prevent from becoming infected. You're putting his ability to recover at risk, Steve!" Kono fired again. She knew she was playing off her Boss's ragged guilt, resorting to emotional blackmail. But she needed him to comply, for his partner's sake and his own.

And it worked. The SEAL's rigid body immediately collapsed into his chair, arms going uselessly slack by his sides while the duffle tumbled back onto the floor. Leaning forward, Steve dejectedly placed his head in his hands, elbows resting on his thighs. Breathing deeply, he hoisted himself up, turning to locate the offensive bag. Kono had beaten him to it; knowingly holding it out for him to take. The dejected grunt of "Call me if anything changes," from the SEAL had her disgustingly flinging her sarcastic reply of, "Like you're going to be gone that long" right back at him. Forcefully grabbing the hateful item in response to her dare, he stalked out of the room to find the nearest shower. Three minutes felt like an eternity to the man.

**~to be continued~**


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: JazzieG...sorry, sorry, sorry for playing in the sandbox without your permission! Jlopie...now it's YOUR fault!_

**Chapter 5**

It was happening _again_. The niggling pain and insufferable heat beginning to register through what felt like dense fog crawling through his brain. He decided that even the pain and intense inferno wrapping itself around his body would be welcome if he could just crawl his way out of the confusion that the fog was creating. "_Where the heck am I? And why… why's it so hard to think?"_ As the fog began to recede from his muddled awareness, not only the persistent pain and heat gained ground, but his familiarity to the distinct sounds around him intensified. _"Wait, pay attention to...Who…Wait, who is that?_" Those sounds, those were voices. Danny instinctively knew that he needed to obstinately grab onto what those voices offered; safety, 'ohana. _"I know them. No, wait…What…No that's…Wait, that's…" _And the pain exploded again. _"Wait, No…that's Steve! No…just a second, NO! Not happening… Steven! Shit, no, no, no, not going back there…" _ Resolutely wrenching his consciousness out of the fog, the pain exponentially drilled into his body. Desperately latching onto the encouraging voice, Danny scraped together the last of his reserves and crawled his way out of the fog, inexorably back towards his 'ohana.

Light rays bore into his fully lidded eyes, causing an anguished groan to escape his lips. An involuntary twitch of his injured fingers while his mind tried to catch up to the overwhelming input bombarding his senses turned his groans into distressed whines. His pain continued to ratchet to blinding levels making his return to consciousness a battle between his psychological needs and his physical ones. One last single minded effort succeeded in forcing his eyes open to minute slits. Panting in response to his efforts, Danny's fluttering gaze desperately locked onto his partner.

H50

"Hey Danny, take your time. Nice and slow..." Steve softly encouraged. His hands were placed gently on his partner's forehead and forearm, soothingly stroking his thumbs across his friend's fevered skin. Leaning over more intently, the SEAL increased his pressure on the Detective's forearm when his pulse rate increased. "No man, not again," Steve whispered. "I'm right here. Hey, hey, hey, right here Danno. Open those stubborn eyes for me buddy. I know it's hard, but fight it Danny. It's not real. Come on Danny, it's not real…you're not there anymore."

"Kono," Chin tensely requested while their boss's attention never wavered. "Yeah, I got it," Kono agreed while quietly slipping out of the room in search of one of the nurses.

Keeping his concerned gaze on his partner, Steve quietly demanded, "I'm not letting you go back there again, okay? You're safe here; we're all right here just waiting for you. You got this, you can do this Danny." Steve leaned carefully closer resting his forehead gently on his partner's, willing his unwavering propinquity to seep into his friend. Carding one hand around the nape of the man's exposed neck and the other on his chest, "Breathe Danny…slow down man…just breathe," he whispered. Danny's groaned response forced the SEAL to pull back slightly.

"Keep going, brah. He's responding to you," Chin softly encouraged, keeping his hands lightly placed on his friend's uninjured leg to help ground him to the present.

Steve quietly inched back into his partner's personal space, instantly reacting when his friend's eye's slid partially open. "Hey, that's it Danno. There you are," the SEAL tenderly encouraged. Steve's entire being radiated conflicting emotions as his partner gained more awareness. His barefaced relief warred with intense anger so prevalent that his body couldn't decide if it wanted to melt onto the floor in a puddle or pummel his fists into the wall. Slamming his rage into check, the SEAL allowed his relief to roll across his face, ending in a genuine smirk. "Glad you're back with us partner. Knew you couldn't stand being away from me for so long. Can't let you out of my sight for a second, can I," he gently chuffed.

The smirk instantaneously vanished when, within moments of opening his eyes, Danny's body began to struggle with the demands of being awake. The Detective's eyes fluttered, the fevered gaze slipping when his groan turned into a soft whimper at the back of his throat. The involuntary trembling of his debilitated body was creating movement, and movement ratcheted up the pain. The level was becoming unmanageable, even though the thought of returning to the uncertainty of unconsciousness had him fighting harder to remain awake.

"Danno? You okay?" Steve could see the struggle in his partner, the unwillingness to return to the blackness of oblivion. The debilitating panic of not being able to wake up when the nightmares tried to drown you in suffocating fear and the way one's mind twisted each torturous moment into anguished eternity.

"Shit…hurts…" Danny breathlessly whispered through the rawness of his throat. He was shallowly panting through the waves of fluctuating levels of ache and stabbing pain. Pain radiated in his eyes, his only tell where he held nothing back from his partner.

"Yeah, I know Danny. You're doing great man; just hang on for me, okay? " Steve implored while the pain within the blue depths of his partner's eyes poured over him. "The Docs coming. He needs you to be awake when he gets here. Just a little bit longer, promise."

"Can't…" Danny implored.

"Yeah, you can. Look at me, Danno. No, right here man!" Danny eyes fluttered closed, then crawled open when Steve placed his open palm on his chest and pressed cautiously. The Detective's eyes, mere slits, sought out his friend. "Good…that's it. Listen to me, listen to my voice. In and out…nice and slow." Setting up a rhythm for his partner to follow with his inhales and exhales, Steve made his rhythm of breathing an act of intense determination, forcing his friend's mind to fight off his body's need to pant. After what seemed like perpetual suffocation and incapacitating pain without end, Danny's breathing began to slow as Dr. Kapahu strode purposely into the room. Kono inaudibly slipped in behind him.

"I hear someone's awake," Dr. Kapahu quietly announced.

"Yeah, he just came round a few minutes ago," Chin hesitatingly acknowledged. Kono immediately became aware that her cousin was uncharacteristically on edge. He had reluctantly relinquished his position by Danny's side once the Physician had moved determinedly into the room. His glance towards her confirmed his certainties that their friend's tenuous hold on consciousness and reality was fragile. Both cousins silently acknowledged that Steve was their teammate's anchor, the one able to force the Detective to hold the shattering pain of his reality in check. If Dr. Kapanu pushed Danny too hard or moved to quickly, they were sure that they would lose their friend again into the abyss. Silently communicating their intent to each other, the cousins positioned themselves to run interference between the two headstrong men, giving both men what they needed to help their injured friend.

Moving purposely around his patient, Dr. Kapanu gently prodded and poked, giving everyone within the room a steady stream of advanced warnings before inducing pain or discomfort through his touch. The man was thorough, but efficient, only taking the time he needed to assess his patient's critical information now that he was awake. He was aware of the unease radiating off of the Five-0 team due to his administrations. Not one to back down easily when it came to the care of his patients, Dr. Kapanu readily admitted the benefit the team was having on the Detective. Willing this time to work _around_ the larger than life presence of the Commander, he finished his examination and gestured to the team to meet him in the hallway when they were ready. Applying a gentle squeeze to Danny's shoulder, the Physician directed his attention to the Commander before leaving the room, "His body needs sleep to heal. Don't let him fight it too long. He'll do more harm than good. One of the nurses will be in to administer more pain medication and another light sedative." Laser like focus still on his partner, Steve abruptly nodded in understanding.

The Detective was struggling to keep his fluctuating gaze on his partner. Pain flared at feather light touches causing him to flinch away from the gentle but determined hands. His tentative grasp on the SEAL's unwavering presence was being stretched razor thin and he was terrified that it would snap, plummeting him back into the fog of unconsciousness. He couldn't grasp the implications behind Dr. Kapanu's explicit explanations or simple warnings, keying off of his partner's litany of faces to determine if he needed to put forth the energy for resistance. The SEAL had protectively been keeping a hand on the Detective's shoulder while Dr. Kapahu examined him. Danny would have ranted at the man had he had the oomph or wherewithal to string two coherent words together. The 'animal' was aggravatingly in the Physician's way, tenaciously refusing to relinquish his position by his friend's side, the Detective's ever present watchdog. A trait in his friend, his partner, that Danny would never admit he needed, but would be forever indebted for. A lone tear began to roll down Danny's cheek, moisture gathering within his quivering lashes and the corners of his lidded eyes. "Nean…der…thal…" A softly exhaled chuff and light squeeze from the SEAL was the only reply.

Steve caught the gesture Dr. Kapanu threw at the team and Chin's questioning look. "Yeah, go ahead. You too, Kono. I'm just going to stay here with him. You can fill me in on what the Doc says in a little while." The SEAL returned his attention back over to his partner, reaching out to soothingly place his palm once again on his chest. "He's all done Danny. You did good brother." The slight tremble his partner's body was enduring was beginning to escalate. Between his fight to stay awake and the painful examination, his friend was essentially tapped of all his reserves. Steve vigilantly leaned over the bedrail. "Hey Danny, it's okay… You can let go now, I've got you," he whispered. His partner's half lidded pupils blew wide with fear at the thought of letting go so completely. Steve tenderly leant his forehead against his friend's, "Let go Danno, I've got you…"

As Danny's eyes shuttered close, an ICU nurse flitted back in and over to the Detective's standing IV's. "Dr. Kapahu ordered another mild sedative and additional pain meds. This will take a few minutes to have an effect, but it should make him more comfortable," the nurse quietly informed his friend. With each arduous response to his partner's ministrations and the newly administered drugs, Danny finally allowed the pain to recede, forcing him to surrender reluctantly back into the fog of unconsciousness. As he succumbed further into oblivion, the man tenaciously held onto his partner's promise, doubtful he would have the ability to crawl out of the darkness and smothering fog without the lifeline that was his friend. Steve had his back; that was all that Danny needed.

**~to be continued~**


	6. Chapter 6

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: JazzieG again...for saving the rookies behind!_

**Chapter 6**

Danny's subsequent brief forays back into the land of the consciously attentive were less dramatic, though no less taxing for everyone. The man was in an extreme amount of pain due to his hands, forcing unsolicited groans from any forced or involuntary movement that knocked them in any way. The plethora of other injuries only added to his level of distress and the challenge of determining a remotely comfortable position. Even unconscious, his body feverishly protested and barely tolerated touch from anyone outside of his 'ohana. Steve was mulishly remaining at his friend's side, hyper vigilant to the man's continuously fluctuating mental and physical state. What the Commander lacked in medical knowledge, he made up for in the familiarity of his friend. Predicting when his partner's groans prefaced consciousness and escalating pain was meticulously determined by the SEAL's single-minded watchfulness.

"Hey Danno, you back again?" Steve ventured, placing a reassuring hand on his partner's chest. The SEAL's touch continued to provide the unwavering encouragement Danny required when his world was turned upside down by pain and confusion. The Commander made sure to place himself within his friend's direct line of sight, particularly when the man was sluggish to awake from a disquieting sleep or groggy from the steady pain meds. The Detectives duration of alertness steadily increased creating more unease as he became responsive to the ICU nurses scheduled rounds. Each timetabled visit assessed his current course of treatment and documented his progress in his recuperation. To Danny, that translated to pain and the potential of any treatment shoving him into another horrendous anxiety attack that his body understandably couldn't afford. And the next set of torturous rounds demanded that the trepidation of the remaining Five-0 member's get thrust into a corner of their mind while they singularly focused on their friend.

Steve's apprehension over his friend's imminent treatment inadvertently slipped onto his face causing Danny's pupils to instantaneously react to the ratcheting anxiety permeating throughout the room. His body slightly trembled while he struggled to maintain some semblance of control. He remembered, even through the fog of intravenous meds, he remembered the flaring spikes of radiating pain after each dressing had been detached and his wounds tended to. The treatments were necessary, but that didn't prevent his body from negatively responding and his mind swiftly screaming with dread.

"Danno, what's wrong?" Steve immediately perceived the reaction of his partner; abruptly comprehending he had unintentionally dog piled his own foreboding right on top of his friends. "Damn it…sorry! Hey, sorry Danny... No, don't do that…hey, none of that…" the SEAL raked a hand through his hair, unconsciously creating ruffled spikes of frustration. "You can get through this man. We're all going to be here, okay? Come on, we'll take it at your speed…your speed brother." Steve reassuringly placed his other hand on his friend's forehead, continuing to whisper encouragement. Chin and Kono purposefully crept to their respective places along their friend's side; gently laying hands where they knew would provide the most reassurance.

"You need more time, brah?" Chin calmly solicited. The Hawaiian wisely gave his friend the option to delay, if even for a few more derisory minutes. The prospect of controlling some minute aspect of his life, where in reality, none existed. Danny's slight shake of his head 'no' had Kono signaling the Head Nurse of the ICU Unit to come in.

"Okay Daniel, nice and quick. You let the Commander know if you need a break. Let's get this over with for you so you can go back to resting," the Head Nurse smiled gently. Turning her attention to the three remaining Five-0 members, she quietly orchestrated them in assisting her where they could. She had been in the ICU for years, having learned the vital importance of family to her critical patients. And she genuinely liked the team as a whole. The power and passion that the Commander and his team exuded while bulldozing or intricately dancing their way around the medical professionals, had kept the Detective grounded while he struggled to recover. She admired that type of dedication in anyone, and the Five-0 Task Force had it in spades.

Steve kept his voice low and soothing while his friend tussled through waves of gut wrenching pain. The SEAL's sole focus was to keep his friend from plummeting into oblivion, although no one would dispute that oblivion would be a kind respite at this juncture. Tears unrelentingly trailed down Danny's cheeks and into his pillow, eyes slammed inexorably closed. Grinding his teeth, he ineffectively choked back a ragged groan while his second hand was being expertly tended to. Steve indicated for the nurse to wait, "Almost done Danno. She's almost done." The Detective's forehead was pinched with excruciating pain and fatigue, his eyes firmly sealed shut. "Hey, let me see Danny. Open up and let me see," the SEAL entreated. The Commander required affirmation from his partner's one honest tell before he'd let the nurse continue.

Danny's ocean blue eyes spilled over as they opened, "Do…it…get…over," he pleaded. The Detective was forfeiting the battle of keeping it together and he knew it. He was certain thousands of knives were being viciously thrust into his palms and back. He just wanted the ceaseless hurting to stop.

Steve nodded his partner's pleading request to the Head Nurse, throwing up earnest gratitude that she was nearly finished. "Okay, partner. Just a little bit longer…" he trailed off, conceding that his friend's body had attained its physical limits. Two hand dressings, one back, a fresh hospital gown, and a change to clean linen had Danny utterly thrashed and melting into the hospital bed. While pillows were restored accordingly, his body trembled violently in response to the stresses placed on it. "He okay?" The SEAL directed his question towards the Head Nurse. Continuing to soothingly rub his partner's sternum, Steve set up a steady rhythm of breathing for his partner to follow. Kono's trail of tears created distinguishable tracks down her cheeks, joining Danny's as they soaked into the bedding.

"He'll be fine," she confidently assured the worried man. "He should sleep again and he'll get his next round of pain meds in a couple of hours. He can't have them while we do this. We need him awake so more damage isn't inadvertently caused to his wounds. There was no evident infection so Dr. Kapanu may want to move him out of ICU by tomorrow morning if he doesn't experience any setbacks tonight."

"Okay good…and thank you," the Commander mumbled into his hand, it once again traveling of its own accord up into his hair. Chin gently squeezed Danny's leg, steadily releasing his breath while he encircled his cousin in a quick, one armed hug.

As the Head Nurse inaudibly exited the room with her supplies, Kono softly slipped out as well. Startling the woman into almost making her tray of supplies clatter to the floor, the cousin wrapped her arms warmly around the woman's shoulders in a heartfelt hug. "Thank you for taking care of Danny," she whispered. Releasing the startled woman just as suddenly, Kono exasperatedly wiped the tears from her face and hastily stole back into the room.

The Head Nurse knowingly smiled as she went about continuing her rounds.

H50

The Detective's eventual move out of the ICU and his complicated road to recovery proved to be spectacularly rough on the man. Once his immediate medical crisis had been addressed, his panic attacks and the rehabilitation of his injuries moved to the forefront of everyone's concerns. His back was quickly healing, having avoided any infection settling in, and his sutures were on schedule to be removed as planned. He would carry the scars of the vicious caning he received for the remainder of his life, but it was the injuries that Danny inflicted to his hands while enclosed in the iron box that caused the most debilitating damage. The man was decidedly forced to accept assistance for his basic daily needs due to the excruciating pain of his slowly healing hands. A fact which he found incredibly embarrassing and demoralizing. He had barely avoided permanent nerve damage to both hands and the three breaks to his fingers aggravatingly delayed aggressive physical therapy until healed. He had also barely survived the hell that was to be a routine MRI for his knee, nearly setting himself back several weeks due to the not so unexpected severe panic attack. Steve and Dr. Kapanu had vehemently gone head to head on the decision to move forward with the MRI immediately following Danny's move from the ICU. The SEAL had argued that his partner wasn't ready to handle the confined space yet, again fighting fiercely to be allowed to accompany his friend during the procedure. The Commander was categorically denied. The end result was his partner being returned to his 'ohana after the images had been taken, a quivering, unresponsive mess. The SEAL would have followed through with his threat to pummel the Physician and MRI Technician into the floor had Kono not gotten to the unsuspecting men first. Chin untiringly maintained his role as the level headed referee, forcing Steve to deal with Danny's belief that the trigger the MRI had caused was some kind of personal failing. The knee ultimately did not require surgery, a fact that was met with little fanfare as the severity of the panic attack far out shadowed the good news. As the weeks slowly progressed, the Detective's anxiety diminished sufficiently, allowing his focus to shift towards regaining control of his weakened body.

Four weeks following Danny's release from the hospital, the Commander ended up verbally going rounds with his partner's physical therapist. Danny had nearly passed out from an intense PT session, setting his progress back for days. Pain was understandable, unavoidable with Danny's hand injuries. Steve knew that the man was masking the agonizing ache following each session, therefore allowing, even encouraging the physical therapist to push harder. No one would argue that the Detective was motivated…no…more like obsessed, with getting better and the physical therapist was feeding off his patient's willingness to work hard. But Steve had come to pick up his friend from his appointment only to find Danny uncontrollably quivering with fatigue and covered in sweat. The Detective took two steps towards his friend before unceremoniously crashing into the Commander, forearms pressed against Steve's chest to prevent his hands from painfully banging into the man. Keeping Danny from crumpling onto the linoleum floor had been the sole act of his partner's quick reflexes and firm grasp around the semi-conscious man's waist. The only thing keeping the SEAL from tearing his partner a new one for his blatant disregard of his own well being, was the knowledge that he, SUPER SEAL, would have responded to rehabbing his injuries the same way if the shoe had been on the other foot. The same restraint he was willing to grant his friend did not apply to the Physical Therapist. The Commander had been willing to give his partner some leeway, but enough was enough. Danny needed to rein it in or he would continue to harshly drive himself into the ground.

**~to be continued~**


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: So impatient...because THIS is where I wanted you to get to._

**Chapter 7**

Steve stormed through the hallways, pulling the doors open so violently, they shuttered in their frames as he stalked determinedly towards his partner's office. "Have either of you seen Danny?" he demanded after peering inside the Detective's work space and finding it disturbingly empty. Approaching the smart table nearly growling at the cousins due to his frustration at his wayward partner, he slammed his palms flat against its surface. Chin questioningly raised his eyebrows at the SEAL, but remained wisely silent.

"Ah…no Boss. We thought he was with you," Kono hesitantly replied. The cousins had just gotten back from lunch, and after finding the offices empty, had just assumed the two men were together.

"Damn it Danny!" the SEAL bellowed. Barreling through Five-0 without further explanation to his teammates, the Commander pounded through the building in search of the man.

"Chin?" Kono cautiously queried.

"Yeah, we better follow him," he knowingly sighed.

H50

His arms violently shuttered, his breath escaping in a hiss, when the kickback of the firearm slammed into his aching fingers and wrist. Gravity attempted to pull the weapon back towards the ground while his grasp mulishly tightened around the grip to keep the sight from dropping away from the target. Sweat was running in rivulets down his back and his once neatly pressed shirt was now plastered against his lean torso. His shoulder's and back throbbed from his unforgiving, locked stance. Deep breath…in, then out…hold. His gaze narrowed before his finger stubbornly caressed the trigger, repeating the action again and again until the slide locked in its open position, emptied. Cartridges littered the counter, dancing a staccato rhythm to stillness and silence on the cold, concrete floor. The caustic scent of spent gunpowder wafted into his consciousness as he remembered to breath.

His concentration stuttered as someone's palm was firmly placed between his rigid shoulder blades, a long arm stretching around his shoulder, hand reaching for the left side of the weapon. Calloused, strong fingers decisively closed over his left hand, cradling the gun and providing support for the man's failing outstretched arms.

"Enough Danny," Steve ground out before the Detective's arms dropped suddenly to the counter, weapon still firmly grasped in his hands. Head lowered while collapsing at the waist into the support of the counter, his partner struggled to heave air into his lungs while the SEAL slid the safety firmly into place. Kono slipped to the inside of the target lane directly across from Danny, gently placing her hands over her friend's while her boss attempted to remove the weapon from his partner's determined grasp. Knowing that the vice like grip was partially due to his finger's cramping, Kono began to soothingly massage his hands while gently peeling his fingers off the gun.

"Jesus Danno, that's enough already," Steve grumbled while taking in the state of his partner's swollen hands and overall, depleted body. Danny had been pushing himself mercilessly ever since getting out of the hospital 12 weeks earlier. Once the Detective received clearance from his physician and physical therapist, Danny threw himself into a self-inflicted, unrelenting regime of rehabilitation for both his hands and knee. Too many times to count, the team found the man hunched over in excruciating pain either from an intense round of conditioning or fire arms practice.

Chin quietly came up behind his teammates, their deep concern over the suffering man echoing his own. Carrying a tall stool, he nudged it behind Danny, forcing him to sit. Reaching over the Detective, the Hawaiian frustratingly slapped the call button to activate the mechanism holding the target to return to the counter.

Steve growled as the slowly returning paper indicated all hits anchored securely within the red center of the target. "You've got nothing to prove here Danno! Knock it off you stubborn jackass…please," the last sentiment barely whispered as the SEAL's anger at the man dissipated quickly.

"Can't," Danny's muffled response barely discernible as his forehead still lay plastered by fatigue to the gun counter. His arms remained outstretched, Kono still working aching muscles and tendons when Danny reluctantly turned to gaze at his friend. Steve had placed his hand on the back of the Detective's head, silently indicating that he needed the man to look at him and explain to him exactly why.

Danny's eyes were pleading, the moisture building in the corner of his eyes threatening to overflow before he could regain his slipping composure, "My fault...shouldn't have happened…"

"Danny…" Steve attempted to interrupt. He instinctively thought he knew where this was going and he wouldn't allow his friend to shoulder the blame for what had happened that day.

The Detective's eyes instantly flashed as he raised his head off the counter, "No Steven! It was my fault they were able to get a hold of me to begin with. My fault that they were able to truss me up like some damn stuck pig and then shove me into that freaking box. Yeah, Steven, and maybe you're right. Maybe I couldn't have stopped it. But then neither could you…nor Chin. So that aneurism, slash guilt ridden face that you flash at me a thousand times a day can just stand in line, babe. Cause there's no one here to blame but me. That's right; get in line SUPER SEAL, because I'm the one who swore that that would never happen to me again. Not you! I put this whole team in danger while you tried to protect me. That can't happen again. It won't happen again…not… because… of ME!" And Danny was off…full on, hands engaged, brash and ruthless rant mode.

The SEAL blinked at the rapidly changing emotions, the cousins swiftly stilling when their friend's mood escalated. It was like experiencing verbal whiplash, his partner unsuspectingly giving up tidbits of information that would have been completely missed if his astute friends had not been able to filter through the discordant ranting. Danny hadn't brought up what happened to him in the iron box, and Steve hadn't wanted to push him. It wasn't like the team didn't have an inkling of their friend's ordeal, their individual minds etching graphic pictorial details they refused to put voice to. Knee aside, the Detective's self inflicted injuries to his hands pretty much succinctly summed up the questions and subsequent lack of answers from the Detective that his 'ohana had struggled with since they had gotten him back. But his friend was fighting demons that not one of his teammates was privy to, if Danny's last statements were any indication that there was more to it. And that was indisputably unacceptable to the SEAL. Partners, "_your problems become my problems_…" Danny had taught him that.

"Sorry…" Danny suddenly deflated. "Shit, sorry. I didn't mean that, but it's not your fault Steven. It's not…and I don't want to discuss it with you right now. Just let it go, okay? It's fine. It's over." The Detective had managed to free his hands from Kono's grasp while the woman had gone slightly wide-eyed at the intensity of the one sided exchange. Danny's hands were almost completely healed from the outside, but still caused some discomfort when he overexerted their physical limitations. And having them cutting sharply through the air to make his point wasn't probably the smartest of moves actually. Because now they hurt, throbbing happily along with his rapidly mounting headache.

"Yeah…sure Danno," Steve hesitantly agreed. The SEAL was still attempting to wrap his brain around what significant scraps of information his partner had just winged past them and how he was going to get the man to give it up later on down the road. Because "it's classified" wasn't allowed to be in his partner's repertoire. Not ever.

"I think we've all had enough here for today children. Time for us to head upstairs and get back to work." Chin wisely provided an out for the two men, allowing their heightened emotions a chance to cool. He had also caught the slip up of the Jersey native, noting that Steve was aware there was more to Danny's latest rant. His job was going to be to keep his cousin out of it, give the two men time to work it out. Kono was as perceptive as the rest of them, in some ways more so. It was evident that she had picked up on what was said. But she was too much like their boss. She would poke and prod until Danny gave it up or she pushed him over the edge. Chin didn't think his friend needed two of his 'ohana pushing that hard on him. He was concerned the Detective wouldn't hold up to that kind of pressure right now. Let the SEAL work on him a bit; Chin discreetly his backup, gently coaching if Steve got too carried away. Danny had come to him before with Meka; he'd be there for him again if he needed it.

"I need a quick shower," Danny suddenly announced, wincing while he creakingly straightened his body to his full height and stepped away from the counter. Massaging his aching fingers and hands before he carefully reloaded his weapon, he nodded to his team that he was ready to go while he slipped his gun back into its holster on his hip. Chin had already cleaned up the spent cartridges and reloaded a fresh target.

"Your bags by the locker room door, brah. And no offense, but yeah, you stink!" Kono smirked, "Thought you might need it once we figured out where you'd gotten to." She hesitated, frowning when her friend didn't rise to the deliberate poke at his expense, "You sure you're okay kaikunane?" Danny wearily nodded his response. His attempt to reassure her was half hearted, it never truly reaching his eyes. "Yeah, okay. We're here if you need us. You know that right?" Kono offered. He waved his acknowledgement at her while slipping into the locker room to grab a quick shower.

"Leave it be Kono," Chin cautioned while he slipped his arm over her shoulder, gently guiding her towards the stairs. "Let Steve handle him."

She flashed him her brilliant, shrewd smile, "Yeah, okay…for now," ducking out from underneath his shoulder to bound up the stairs and back to the office.

H50

It took Danny thirty minutes to get himself into some semblance of composed order before figuratively barricading himself in his office. He had allowed the blazing hot shower to burn the aches out of his sore muscles, working his stiff hands into a more manageable range of flexibility. The volume of the water bouncing off the tiles in the shower drowned out his hiss of pain with each forced stretch of his fingers. Allowing the water to cascade over his face gave him permission to ignore the additional salty moisture rolling down his cheeks that had nothing to do with his discomfort and everything to do with the fact that he'd been forced to remember. He'd been inadvertently shoved back into that _box_ of all encompassing heartache and relentless culpability where he _swore_, he promised himself, he would never visit again.

HPD had taken care of the case that had begun his spiraling journey down the rabbit hole, so the team was now diligently working on nothing but paperwork. Danny was aware of Steve's furtive glances over to his office and blatantly ignored them. He knew that his partner would not be able to let go of his monumental slip up earlier. He had given too much away to his teammates, the SEAL just waiting for the right opportunity to pounce on his friend to finally give up what was eating at him. It was likely that the man hadn't shuffled a single paper off his desk in the last three hours.

Danny physically jumped; he had buried himself so deeply in the work that he hadn't noticed his partner until the SEAL cleared his throat, casually leaning in his partner's doorway. "I sent Chin and Kono home early for the weekend. It's time to go home, Danno." The Detective inwardly groaned. He hadn't noticed his two teammates leaving, his partner likely planning it that way. Besides, the partner's had driven in together, so he knew he wasn't going to be able to escape the SEAL forever.

It must have been because he was so incredibly exhausted that the next words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, "I had another partner after Grace in New Jersey" Danny reluctantly mumbled, bowing his head.

Steve blew out a slow breath, willing himself to stay calm and not spook Danny into silence. "What? Danno, I don't understand. I thought Grace was your last partner before you came to Hawaii?"

Danny softly chortled, placing his elbows on his desk and supporting his head in his hands in defeat. The sound roughly emanating from his throat had nothing to do with laughter. The agonizing distress radiating off his partner had Steve leaving his casual post at the doorway and purposefully striding into his partner's office. He determinedly settled himself on the corner of Danny's desk, lightly placing a reassuring hand on his partner's shoulder. "Danno, tell me. What happened? You need to trust me with this…just, tell me...please."

With trembling hands, Danny stutteringly reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a flat, dress blue's velvet jewelry box the size of a hard backed book. Silently holding out the evidently revered case to his partner, Steve carefully drew it into his hands, worriedly glancing at the man. He immediately observed the slightly raised New Jersey shield emblazoned on the cover. Returning his undivided attention back to the box, the SEAL warily lifted the hinged casing. "Shit…okay" Steve's expletive whooshed out of his body in a spectacular rush.

**~to be continued~**


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: Ready CinderH? Waving white hanky in surrender ;-)_

**Chapter 8**

Steve had been propelled into Danny's emotional upheaval in a brilliant flash of understanding by one simple box. One piece of the puzzle clicked firmly into place. Fashioned and clasped in a complete circle within the inset of the case was a well worn, rolled black leather K9 police dog collar. Setting atop a raised dais in the middle of the collar was nestled the scuffed, but well cared for silver K9 badge. The black leather backing affixed to the silver shield had been well oiled and preserved, though once again well worn. The navy blue inset housed the gold lettering 'Sig', and underneath 'New Jersey K9 Unit'. On the inside flap of the case was affixed a picture of Danny, in his dress blues, and his Belgian Malinois, 'Sig'.

Steve rolled his fingertips over the badge with the care and reverence that his partner had shown while doing his best to give Danny the time he needed to explain. The Commander's emotions were bulldozing from one end of the spectrum to the other as the SEAL attempted to accept that his best friend had yet another secret that he was so utterly unaware of. That what had been driving his partner's obsession with rehab so blindly and had inadvertently spilled over into his everyday work life, was housed in a tiny little box with the name of 'Sig'. The gaping holes of the story still needed to be filled, but Steve was determined that his friend would get them there, even if it took all night. Steve gently set the opened case in front of his partner, moving back to sit across the desk, arms folded across his chest, waiting.

"No Steven, I need a beer to do this. Maybe more than one." Danny forced himself to his feet, hands raking through his hair as he made his way to his office's open door, intent on grabbing two beers from the tiny fridge in Steve's office.

"If you're not back here in two minutes Danny, I'm coming to find you," Steve gently threatened. The SEAL was willing to acknowledge that his partner was struggling with whatever this was; it just wasn't the right time to push him. But he wasn't going to let his friend walk out of this office without getting the crushing weight of his memories off of his chest.

"Yeah, I know." Within the two minute time frame set forth by his unrelenting partner, Danny returned with two beers in hand. Passing one over to his friend, he sat back behind his desk reluctantly staring at the box in unabashed sorrow.

Danny's anguished deep blue eyes looked up to meet the unwavering gaze of his partner and relented, "I requested a transfer out of the department and into the K9 Unit following 9-11 and Grace's death," Danny whispered. "But the department denied it. We had lost too many officers with 9-11 and they didn't want to start shuffling guys around. There were too many requests coming in for transfers and the department needed time to sort out what their needs were. So they twirled a caveat in front of me instead. Stay a detective but train with the K9 Unit and Sig. He hadn't been matched with a handler and they were desperate to get him out in the field. I said yes, it's what I wanted, what I needed after Grace. I still had my responsibilities as a Detective, but I tacked on the gruesome training hours, then the added responsibilities of being part of the K9 Unit. It would be safe to say that Rachael was less than pleased with my decision. It took me twenty- three weeks to complete our training in evidence, drug detection, search and rescue, cadaver work, and protection." Danny paused, then cleared his throat roughly, "Sig was killed shortly before I moved to Hawaii to follow my daughter."

The silence following Danny's last statement resounded around the room. Steve waited for his partner to continue, to explain why the death of his police dog was such a strong trigger for the botched investigation 12 weeks prior. He got that his friend had lost another partner, because to Danny, it wouldn't have mattered that Sig was a police dog. His partner threw his whole being into the job, into his role as a father, a partner, a friend. That Sig had died while on duty would have nearly destroyed the man, just like the death of his partner Grace had. Steve desperately needed his partner to tell him what happened in order to connect the dots. There was more here than his friend was divulging.

Danny placed his elbows on the desk, hands clasped and resting on his forehead, eyes closed. The silence brutally extended making the partners uncomfortable, the two men unsure of who was waiting for whom to break it. "Danno…," Steve began warily. The Detective lurched to his feet in response, pacing behind his desk like a caged animal. His breathing was shallow, palms beginning to sweat as he jerked to a halt in front of an office window. Placing his arms spread eagle against the surface of the cool, slick glass, he firmly pressed into the surface lowering his head between his elbows, "Damn it…not again…" And it happened in a split second flare of brilliant white light; Danny flashed to the 48 hours where he had gotten another partner, another best friend, killed…

_Danny groaned as he became aware of his body and attempted to leverage himself up off the hard, wet surface he was lying on. Wherever he was, it was dark, the kind of dark that almost glows in its completeness. He couldn't see squat and he couldn't remember why the heck he was here. His shoulder suddenly screamed in protest at the additional weight and awkward movement, causing him to splash back onto his stomach and into the filthy water lying stagnant on the surface. Quickly flipping over onto his back while he spit the rancid taste of water from his mouth, he gently prodded his shoulder with filthy fingers. His shoulder was sticky, along with being wet, and yep, there was the hole. Perfect, he'd been shot. He crept the fingers of his good arm over his burning shoulder to see if it was a through and through. No such luck, the bullet was still in there. Another valiant effort at movement got him into a sitting position, eyes slammed closed, his entire focus on not emptying the contents of his stomach to add to the already disgusting sludge he was surrounded by and currently sitting in. The steady throbbing of his head convinced his now shaking, slimy fingers to gently wander across his forehead. Pain flared as he came across an egg sized lump on the side of his head. Okay, that would explain the somersaulting stomach and the rhythmic pounding in his head that kept in perfect cadence with every heartbeat. Another intrepid heave and he was barely vertical, leaning heavily against the concave shaped wall, all of his weight placed on his left leg as his right protested vehemently on any attempt otherwise. Sounds were thunderously ricocheting around him, his heartbeat increasing as his mind caught up with the probable size of the space he was in. Shit… he hated feeling confined. Please let this space be bigger than a matchbox._

_Harshly panting from the exertion of becoming upright, his entire being pleaded 'stay put' but his stubborn mind had other ideas, so he recklessly hobbled forward using the wall for support. Still trying to muddle his way back to why he was here, wherever here was, and why he was shot, he tripped. Landing hard on the other side of the horizontal object in his path, his breath zipped out of his chest as his body slammed into the swampy concrete once again. Expletives rocketed out of his mouth once he had the breath to support them. Determined to find out what had had the audacity to trip him up, he slowly army crawled back to the offending object. Tentatively reaching out with his good arm, his fingers brushed up against wet, slick…dog hair…Sig's coat. His world callously wrenched itself back into place. Crawling closer to his partner, violently trembling hands caressed the thick wet coat along the blood riddled muscular flanks. His fingers buried themselves into the muddied fur, debris from the shipyard encasing the once smooth, sleek coat. He was frenetically begging his partner to move, get up, and stop this hellish nightmare from becoming his new reality. Hesitantly cording his hands up through his partner's still sides, he moved to gently stroke the motionless head and neck. His body and mind shuddered when his fingers reached the Malinois trademark erect ears. NO! That didn't happen, G*d please don't let that have happened. Forced to turn his head suddenly away from his partner, he violently wretched when he confirmed one of the tips of the ears had been viciously torn off. "NO! SIG…no…sorry, sorry…I'm so sorry…" his tortured screams descended into wracking sobs as he pulled his grief wracked body into a sitting position in order to cradle his dead partner in his lap. _

_Images relentlessly marched mercilessly into his consciousness while he wept. He and Sig alone in the shipping yard finishing up a routine search pattern for evidence. His dog strongly alerting on a shipping container half buried amongst the hundreds of other containers in the yard. The image of him making the call into the precinct when the explosion of gun fire erupted around them. Shouting into the phone for back-up while frantically looking for cover from the crossfire. The searing pain of getting hit in the shoulder, slamming into the container behind him, weapon slipping out of his fingers. The gunman bearing down on him, his partner launching himself at the threat to his handler…three shots to the chest…Sig plummeting to the ground…unmoving. Piercing grief and then blinding rage, the side of his head exploding in pain. Arms forced above his head, feet dangling slightly off the ground while fists pounded into his ribs. Fingers mercilessly grasping his jaw to force his head down to watch his partner's body coldheartedly mutilated…then… the sudden, grateful relief of oblivion. _

**_~to be continued~_**


	9. Chapter 9

******Disclaimer: **I do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: Because Cargumentluv begged and um...well...I think now your going to hate me! So yeah, still a rookie ;-) _

**Chapter 9**

"DANNY! Danny…crap…come on Danny…stop…" Steve frantically implored the man, trying to wield his way through the desperate moans and mutterings of his friend. The Detective had suddenly melted into the floor, his memories ripping him away from the safety of the office. Smoothly scooping up his besieged friend into a seated position between his outstretched legs, the SEAL soothingly settled his partner's back against his chest. Arms circling the man to keep him upright, the Detective's head rolled back onto his shoulder. Steve whispered reassurances into his partner's ear until the frightful moaning and the repetitive, beseeching 'sorry' ceased. "You with me now? Danno, you with me?" Danny had dreadfully managed to communicate what the SEAL needed to finally understand. The second piece of the puzzle ruthlessly crashed into place. His teammate's reactions and internal struggles within the past 12 weeks made the puzzle complete. What his friend couldn't communicate could wait. He'd give his friend that, he'd earned it. He lost track of time, allowing his partner to dictate what he needed as the SEAL in him internally raged at the cruelty and brutality his partner had suffered.

Steve physically startled when Danny's ragged whisper broke through the stilled silence. "I woke up in an abandoned septic tank that was tucked under a portion of the shipping yard. After they dumped us in, they covered the septic grate with a full shipping container. The Officers that initially responded to the call couldn't locate us, so they called in other K9 teams from our precinct's Search and Rescue Unit. I didn't have the chance to tell anyone what part of the shipping yard 'Sig' and I had been searching. I went in alone Steven, it was a stupid rookie move. I knew better, especially after… Grace." Danny stuttered to a halt, painfully clearing his throat.

"Danno, you don't have to do this. You gave me enough, I get it," Steve quietly implored. His partner had begun trembling again, his cold body throwing off additional indicators of shock. The SEAL was torn about the sudden dump of emotional pain, and whether it would set his partner back physically. He knew Danny needed to get this out, but he wasn't sure how far to let him go before cutting him off.

"No, I need to finish. Just…just give me a second." Danny was quicker to recover this time, his voice less tortured with the memories. Steve knew what was to come and braced himself in case his partner flew apart again. "The precinct got a package around six hours into the search, a warning to back off. The bastards had torn off a portion of 'Sig's' ear, sent it to the precinct along with my gun and our badges. We weren't found until 48 hours later. I don't remember much after finding 'Sig'. The Doctor's told me that it took the rescue team several hours to get me out of the septic tank and away from 'Sigs' body. I spent two days in the hospital before checking out AMA. I kind of lost it after that for a while. Took a bit for everyone in the precinct to stop walking on eggshells around me. Gracie was the only thing that kept my world from shattering into a million pieces." Danny blew out a tortured breath, "'Sig' died because he was trained to protect me…I let him down as his handler…his partner..."

Steve whispered response made Danny hesitate… "Man's _best friend_, Danno. And you didn't let him down. You're just not capable of that brah." Silence descended upon the partner's, each man able to forfeit their guilt for a silence that was comforting, understanding, and complete.

"You really do suck at this stuff, you know," Danny quietly offered, attempting to regain some normalcy following the backlash of his emotional dump. The intensity of the past few months had both men reeling and on unsure footing. Breathing deeply, he pulled away from his partner's chest to sit slightly forward, allowing the SEAL to gracefully unravel himself up off the floor. "And for the record…I hate you. I hate you…you know, for making me do that." Danny's voice tapered off as the last was reluctantly offered to his friend.

"Yeah, Danno. You've told me that…repeatedly I might add. I get that too," the SEAL softly chuffed. Steve confidently extended his hand out to his partner, pulling him up off the floor then slinging his arm comfortingly over his friend's shoulder. "And you love me. You know you do," Steve waspishly grinned. The familiar retort providing a much needed balm after having scrapped along the emotional scars of the past twelve weeks.

"Yeah, I do…thanks" Danny whispered.

"You're welcome, Danno"

H50

"You know! He told you didn't he? Friday night…in the office after we left," Kono demanded, finger jabbing into her Boss's chest. She had pounced on Steve after about an hour in the office Monday morning, carefully watching Danny rant and rave at the man for something that neither cousin had been privy to. Chin had doggedly tried to divert her attention from the observable transformation in the blond Detective's persona to no avail. He essentially ended up chucking in the proverbial towel as his own warring curiosity versus concern got the better of him.

Steve smirked at the irritation and curiosity the woman radiated at him. Kono _hated_ being left out of the know. Especially, understandably really, when it had to do with her 'ohana. The smirk quickly vanished though, as her glare demanded that the SEAL give it up. This was Danny's story to tell, and after what his partner had just gone through over the last twelve weeks, he wasn't about to cross that line of trust. So he responded with all the sincerity and honesty he could muster, "Yeah, he told me. It's his story to tell though Kono. When he's ready, he'll tell you. Don't push him on this one….please."

Kono blinked, cocking her head to the side as she pondered Steve's request. He had said "please". Her Boss rarely said "please". After what seemed like forever, she flashed another one of her brilliant smiles, spun on her heels, and threw over her shoulder in typical que sera sera fashion, "Yeah, okay Boss. You got it."

Steve stole a look at Chin, locking onto his questioning gaze. The SEAL encouraged his insightful friend to take his time, silently compelling him to believe that Danny would be okay and that their team would remain wholly intact. Satisfied with what he found, Chin nodded in perceptive understanding.

H50

Steve glanced over to his, once again, silent partner. The past six months had been a hellish roller coaster ride for his friend. The only genuine smiles to make their way into the depths of the intense blue eyes happened when he was in the presence of his beloved daughter Grace. Danny had regained most of his footing after his little tête-à-tête with the SEAL, but the man was still off, still uncharacteristically subdued. His 'ohana noticed, hell even the HPD officers that Five-0 commonly worked with questioned the Commander at some point if his partner was okay. The revered velvet box had disappeared back into the depths of the man's office desk, taking with it the fire and passion for the job and life Danny was renowned for. Steve found that unequivocally unacceptable.

As the Commander slowed his partner's Camaro down to make a turn into their destination, Danny went rigid in his seat, "What the hell, Steven! What the fuck are you up to?" It was the most demonstrative reaction Steve had gotten from the man in days and he couldn't suppress the slight smirk inching its way onto his face. He knew the facial expression was incredibly inappropriate, but he missed _this_ Danny. It was good to see that the burning fuel of his partner's intense personality was still buried underneath somewhere, it just needed the right impetuous to come out again.

Pulling into the parking lot in front of the expansive building and fields, Steve launched himself out of the Camaro before his partner could continue his rant. The SEAL couldn't fail to notice that Danny didn't budge, not one inch out of the safety that the car now provided. "Christ, you can be such a stubborn SOB sometimes, Daniel," he grumbled as he stomped over to the passenger side door. Wrenching the door open while giving his partner his best Navy SEAL death stare, "Get out of the car Daniel or I'll embarrass you right here where everyone can see. You know I'll do it…just...get out of the car."

It took the Detective exactly 5.2 seconds to decide that his partner would willingly mete out his latest threat and that it would be better to concede defeat at this point. But getting out of the car was as far as he would go. His partner would have to sling him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry to get his friend any closer to the building. Grudgingly sliding out of the passenger door, Danny didn't anticipate the paralyzing fear that flooded his body almost forcing him to his knees.

Steve's quick reactions in grabbing his partner's elbow saved the man from face planting onto the graveled surface of the lot, avoiding further embarrassing himself in a spectacular fashion. "Deep breaths…take your time. No rush, partner," he quietly encouraged. The SEAL had known that he was taking an extreme risk with his plan, it being inevitable that his friend would catch on as soon as they made the turn off the main road. But the Commander was beyond certain that his plan was a solid one. The fact that his partner was still standing next to him, albeit not entirely under his own power, reinforced his belief that he had done the right thing. "Trust me on this one Danno…you need to trust me buddy," he patiently entreated.

As the Detective was trying not to disassemble any further in front of his partner, Steve gestured towards the imposing figure that was approaching from the nearly empty field. The man was bound to demand anyone's attention as his stature alone exuded self-assurance. But it was the companion that accompanied the man that had Danny keenly gathering his senses into some semblance of order. The team approaching the men oozed expertise and authority. Lethal combinations that even the inexpert untrained eye would appreciate. Danny's decidedly perfected skills and eye construed so much more.

Danny was one of, if not _the_ best dog handlers New Jersey's K9 Unit had ever had. That was an undeniable fact within his old department and across the State. Steve did his homework and had checked with his partner's old precinct to verify his information. It hadn't taken much convincing to get Hawaii's Governor and the K9 Unit's Training Commander to allow his partner to train with another dog. The key always hinged around convincing Danny. The risk had always been in his partner's refusal, so the SEAL eliminated his choice from the equation. He knew his plan had the potential to spectacularly blow up in his face, but he was willing to take the risk. He just hoped Danny was.

In front of the two Hawaii Five -0 teammates now stood HPD's Canine Unit SSD Training Commander. With a brisk nod of acknowledgement to the SEAL, the Training Commander locked his attention on the Detective. But every fiber of Danny's being was locked on the HPD Commander's companion, nothing else existed.

Steve hesitantly cleared his throat, "Danno, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of Five-0…'Kahu'. You're the new handler."

**~the end~**

**~ Sequel...um...yeah, maybe ~**

_And no, it's not written! Rookie, remember?_


End file.
